Hardware Compatibility

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Contents

Hardware Reported to Work

The following list is compiled by the unRAID user community. While it is mostly accurate, it is not definitively so, as it cannot be guaranteed that users have the time, expertise or diligence to test and report back all aspects. It is recommended that if you are using this list, you do so in conjunction with heavy use of the forum.

  • Although boards are listed here by name, compatibility is actually determined by the Linux kernel with the chipsets onboard. Chipset info may not be listed for all boards yet. But if you are looking at a board that is not listed here, check to see what are its major chipsets (Northbridge, Southbridge, network controller, disk controller(s)), and if they are listed below, or are on boards that are listed, then the chances are very good that the board is fully compatible.
  • A voluminous source of motherboard specs is here, on the AVS forums, commented on here.
  • Users are starting to add motherboard info with compatibility grades to the Personal Text field of their forum posts, which appears on the left side of the post, under the post count. For more information, see this thread. Wondering how to add this info? See this post.
  • Also check user sigs (signatures) within the forums for motherboard and other build information. Their actual build may be listed, or a link entitled My Rig which should take you to detail about their system. And check the Pimp Your Rig forum thread for user builds with pictures.
  • All unRAID users are invited to add their working boards here, to help others. We recommend you also add a new topic to the Motherboards forum, with your board as Subject heading, and listing more details of your build. Others are especially interested in the CPU and RAM choices you have found to work, as well as your power supply, CPU cooler, fans, addon disk controllers, disk drives, case, etc. Additional links to the manufacturer's product page and a mainstream vendor's product page are always appreciated too. And any special build tips or BIOS settings changes are always helpful.


An explanation of what the "Tested Level" column means

  • The first level should require at least 3 drives (limit of free license), should have successfully computed parity, and should have successfully checked parity. A syslog should be posted to make sure there are no nasties that might point to compatibility issues. (The syslog will also document parity check performance).
  • The second level should be a user with at least 6 drives (limit of Plus license) that has run for a month without a power down, had a successful parity check at the beginning and end of the month. A syslog should be posted here for that period. During this period at least 10% of the array size should be copied to and from the array.
  • The third level would be a user that has had 13+ drives (including a cache disk), that has run for two months without a power down, has successfully parity checked at least 3 times (start, middle, end) and has posted a good syslog for that period. During this period at least 15% of array size should be copied to and from the array.

The syslog(s) will provide some evidence of good functionality, and running the parity checks will establish good habits going forward. Those looking to make purchase decisions will have more to go on than a casual statement of "it works perfect."


When verification is received that a given board has passed the outlined level a check mark (✓) will be added and a link back to the thread as proof of the completion.


IMPORTANT! The boards listed here have been added by users like you. They were found to work with their specific set of drives, addon controllers, CPU, and RAM, and are not guaranteed in any way to work with other controllers, CPU, and RAM. They very likely have not tested all features of the board, so it is possible that a board listed here as compatible, will not prove compatible with your hardware. As negative reports come in, they will be added to this list.


Motherboard

The motherboard is probably the biggest and most important decision that you will make. There are 3 ways to go:

  • use a board you already have - need to confirm its compatibility - likely to be older and slower with few SATA ports
  • study the Motherboard forum, watch for sales, check this page - and select the board that seems best for you - unRAID has very good compatibility with most boards
  • select one of the 'official' boards (Asus P5B-VM DO and Super Micro C2SEE), used by Lime Technology itself in its pre-built systems for purchase - maximum compatibility because tested the most by the developer - recommended by several veteran unRAID users, here's why - 'official' boards are clearly marked below

Here are some additional thoughts on the 4 classes of motherboards, from well-tested to untested.

NOTE: If you own or are considering a Gigabyte board, you need to be aware of the HPA issue. If it is possible, it is highly recommended to update to the latest BIOS of your Gigabyte board and disable the option to backup the BIOS to the hard drive.

Model Date Added Tested Level SATA eSATA # of Gb NIC NIC chipset CPU socket Northbridge Southbridge Onboard Video Form Factor Links & Notes
Abit AB9 Pro ----- ✓✓ 9 1 2 Realtek RTL8111B Intel LGA 775 P965 Express ICH8R no ATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1, forum post 2, forum post 3, forum post 4, forum post 5, Most SATA ports, but check forum, many support requests. Upgrade BIOS to latest.
Abit A-S78H ----- ✓ 6 0 1 Marvell 88E8056 AMD 780G SB700 SB700 no uATX Manufacturer, No Newegg link, forum post 1, 16x PCI-E, 1x PCI-E, HDMI, DVI, VGA, AM2+, PCI-E v2.0, HT 3.0, DDR2 1066 (AM2+), 7 drives max
Abit IC7-MAX3 ----- TBD 4 0 1 Intel Pro 1000 Intel 478 875P ICH5R no ATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1, 5 PCI Slots, no PCI-E
Asrock 939SLI32-eSATA2 ----- TBD 6 2 1 Realtek RTL8111B AMD 939 ULi M1697 ULi M1697 no ATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1, forum post 2, 2 eSATA ports Shared with 2 ports on M/B
Asus A7N8X Deluxe v2.0 ----- TBD 2 0 0 Realtek RTL8201BL PHY AMD socket A nForce2 400 nForce2 MCP no ATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1, forum post 2
Asus A8N-SLI ----- TBD 4 0 1 -- AMD 939 nForce4 SLI nForce4 MCP no ATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1
Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe ----- TBD 8 0 2 NVIDIA Gigabit MAX(Marvell PHY chip) & Marvell PCI Gigabit LAN AMD 939 nForce4 SLI nForce4 MCP no ATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1
Asus A8N-SLI Premium ----- ✓✓ 8 0 2 NVIDIA Gigabit MAX(Marvell PHY chip) & Marvell PCI Gigabit LAN AMD 939 nForce4 SLI nForce4 MCP no ATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1
Asus A8N-VM CSM ----- TBD 4 0 1 Marvell 88E1111 PHY AMD 939 GeForce 6150 nForce 430 yes mATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1, DVI & VGA Output
Asus A8N-VM/S ----- TBD 4 0 0 NVIDIA nForce AMD 939 nForce 4 NA yes mATX Bios and drives, No Newegg Link, forum post 1, OEM Fujitsu Siemens
Asus A8R32-MVP Deluxe Sept 2009 ✓ 5 1 2 Marvell 88E8053/88E8001 AMD 939 ATI Crossfire Express 3200 ULI M1575 no ATX Manufacturer Newegg, forum post 1, S3 Works
Asus M2N68-AM ----- TBD 4 0 1 Realtek RTL8211CL AMD Socket AM2+/AM2 GeForce 7050PV nForce 630a yes mATX Manufacturer, Newegg, About BIOS, VGA output
Asus M2N-E ----- TBD 6 0 1 NVIDIA nForce 570 Ultra MCP AMD Socket AM2 nForce 570 Ultra MCP NA no  ? Manufacturer, Newegg
Asus M2NPV-VM ----- TBD 4 0 1 NVIDIA Gigabit MAX(Marvell PHY chip) AMD Socket AM2 GeForce 6150 nForce 430 yes mATX Manufacturer, Newegg, About BIOS, DVI-D, VGA, RGB, Svideo outputs
Asus M2N-SLI Deluxe August 2009 TBD 7 1 2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP (Marvell PHY) AMD Socket AM2 nForce 570 SLI MCP NA no ATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1,
Asus M2N-WS March 2010 ✓ 9 1 2 NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI MCP (Marvell PHY) AMD Socket AM2 nForce 570 SLI MCP NA no ATX Manufacturer, NeweggForum Post 1, Only six onboard sata ports work currently, dual PCI-X, PCIe X16 and PCIe x1 slots.
Asus M3N-HD February 2009 ✓ 6 0 1 Atheros F1 Gigabit PHY AMD Socket AM2+/AM2 nForce 750a SLI NA yes ATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1, HDMI output; the board appears to work great
Asus M4A78-VM October 2009 ✓ 6 0 1 Realtek RTL8111 AMD Socket AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G AMD SB700 yes microATX Manufacturer, Newegg (close but not quite), forum post 1
Asus M4A78L-M March 2010 ✓ 6 0 1 Realtek 8112L AMD Socket AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 760G AMD SB710 yes microATX Manufacturer, Newegg, level one comp
Asus P4C800 ----- TBD 2 0 1 Intel CSA 82547EI Intel 478 875P MCH ICH5R no ATX Manufacturer, No Newegg link
Asus P4C800 Deluxe (B-) ----- TBD 2 0 1 Intel CSA 82547EI Intel 478 875P ICH5R no ATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1, forum post 2
Asus P4GE-MX/S ----- TBD 0 0 0 Realtek RTL8100C Intel Socket 478 845GE 82801DB ICH4 no mATX Manufacturer, No Newegg link, OEM Fujitsu-Siemens Scaleo L; issues with SMART
Asus P4P800-E Deluxe ----- TBD 4 0 1 Marvell 88E8001 Intel 478 865PE ICH5R no ATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1
Asus P4P800 SE ----- TBD 2 0 1 Marvell 88E8001 Intel 478 865PE ICH5R no ATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1
Asus P4R800-VM ----- TBD 0 0 0 Realtek RTL8201BL/CL Intel 478 Radeon 9100 IGP ATI IXP200 yes mATX Manufacturer, No Newegg link
Asus P5B-E ----- TBD 7 1 1 Attansic® L1 PCI-E Intel LGA 775 P965 Express ICH8R no ATX Manufacturer, Newegg
Asus P5BV-M May 2010 ✓ 4 0 3 Broadcom BCM5721 Intel LGA 775 Intel 3200 Intel ICH7R yes microATX Newegg
Asus P5B-VM DO

an official Lime Tech recommended board

----- ✓✓✓ 7 1 1 Intel 82566DM Intel LGA 775 Q965 Express ICH8DO yes mATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1, forum post 2, BIOS settings here, S3 Works
Asus P5E-VM DO ----- ✓✓ 6 0 1 Intel 82566DM Intel LGA 775 Q35 ICH9DO yes mATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1
Asus P5GDC-V Deluxe ----- TBD 4 0 1 Marvell PCIe 88E8053 Intel LGA 775 915G ICH6R yes BTX Manufacturer, No Newegg Link
Asus P5K Deluxe ----- TBD 6 2 2 Marvell 88E8056 / Realtek RTL8110SC Intel LGA 775 P35 ICH9R no ATX Manufacturer, Newegg, Tested with 4.4 final; alternate Marvell 88E8056 PCI-E LAN port did not work
Asus P5KPL-CM March 2009 ✓✓ 4 0 1 Atheros AR8121 Intel LGA 775 G31 ICH7 yes mATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1, Onboard NIC supported as of 4.5beta? (tested/working in 4.5beta6).
Asus P5LD2 R2.0 ----- TBD 4 0 1 Marvell 88E8053 Intel LGA 775 945P ICH7R no ATX Manufacturer, Newegg
Asus P5LD2-VM R2.0 ----- TBD 4 0 1 Intel Gb Intel LGA 775 945G ICH7 yes mATX Manufacturer, Newegg
ASUS P5NT WS March 2009 ✓✓ 6 0 2 NVIDIA Gigabit MAC(Marvell 88E1116 chip) Intel LGA 775 nForce 680i LT SLI NA no ATX Server Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1
Asus P5PE-VM ----- TBD 2 0 1 Marvell 88E8001 Intel LGA 775 865G ICH5 yes ATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum thread, with BIOS settings
Biostar TA690G ----- TBD 4 0 1 Realtek RTL8111B AMD Socket AM2 690G ATI SB600 yes mATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1
BIOSTAR A760G M2+ Oct 2009 ✓ 6 0 1 Realtek 8111C AMD Socket AM2+/AM2 AMD 760G AMD SB710 yes mATX Manufacturer, [1], forum post 1
Dell Dimension 9200 XPS 410 DXP061 Oct 2009 TBD 6 0 1 Intel 82566DC Gigabit Intel LGA 775 Intel P965 Express Intel ICH8R no BTX Manufacturer, No Newegg Link, forum post 1
DFI 855GME-MGF ----- TBD 2 0 1 Realtek RTL8110S Intel 479 855GME MCH 6300ESB yes mATX Manufacturer, No Newegg Link, Based on Mobile Chipset which should run at low power levels (Green)
DFI LANParty UT NF590 SLI-M2R/G ----- TBD 8 0 2 VITESSE VSC8601 AMD Socket AM2 nForce 590 SLI MCP MCP55PXE no ATX Manufacturer, Newegg
ECS 945GCT-D (DTX Atom) January 2009 TBD 2 0 0 ATHEROS AR8112 Intel FCBGA 437 945GC ICH7 yes Mini-DTX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1, Requires separate NIC card as ATHEROS AR8112 is not supported
ECS 945GCT-M/1333 April 2008 TBD 4 0 0 Realtek RTL8101E Intel LGA 775 945GC ICH7 yes mATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1
ECS A740GM-M March 2008 ✓ 6 0 1 Atheros L1 or Atheros L2 (10/100) AMD Socket AM2 740G SB700 yes mATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1, forum post 2
Epox 8NPA SLI ----- TBD 4 0 1 VITESSE VSC8201RX AMD Socket 754 nForce4 SLI nForce4 SLI MCP no ATX Manufacturer, Newegg
Epox MF570 SLI (A-) ----- TBD 8 0 2 Marvell 88E1116 AMD Socket AM2 nForce 570 SLI nForce 570 SLI MCP no ATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1, forum post 2, Requires noapic boot option if running unRAID versions prior to v4.4 final
Foxconn 6150BK8MC-KRSHN2 ----- TBD 4 0 1 NVIDIA Gigabit MAX(Marvell PHY chip) AMD Socket 939 GeForce 6150B(PV) nforce 430 yes mATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1
Foxconn 946GZ7MA-8KS2H November 2008 TBD 4 0 1 Marvell 88E8001 Intel LGA 775 946GZ ICH7 yes mATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1
Foxconn G31MX-K March 2009 ✓ 4 0 1 Realtek RTL8111B Intel LGA 775 G31 ICH7 yes mATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1 forum post 2
Gigabyte G31M-ES2L March 2009 ✓✓ 4 0 1 Realtek RTL8111C Intel Socket 775 G31 ICH7 yes mATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1, S3 Works
Gigabyte GA-8I848P775-G ----- TBD 2 0 1 Marvell 8001 Intel LGA775 848P ICH5 no ATX Manufacturer, Newegg
Gigabyte GA-945GZM-S2 ----- TBD 4 0 1 Marvell 88E8001 Intel LGA 775 945GZ ICH7 yes mATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1, Bios: 'Integrated Peripherals', Set the 'On-Chip SATA Mode' to 'Enhanced'
GIGABYTE GA-EG31MF-S2 November 2009 TBD 4 0 1 Realtek 8111C Intel 775 G31 ICH7 yes mATX Manufacturer, No Newegg Link, S3 Works
GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3R ----- TBD 8 0 1 Realtek RTL8111B Intel 775 P35 ICH9R yes mATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1, forum post 2 Upgrade to latest BIOS, works with 4.3 Betas; issues reported
Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L (rev 1.0) January 2009 TBD 6 0 1 Realtek RTL8111C Intel 775 P43 ICH10 no ATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1
Gigabyte GA-EP43-UD3L (rev 1.0) April 2009 ✓ 6 0 1 Realtek RTL8111C Intel 775 P43 ICH10 no ATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3L October 2008 TBD 6 0 1 Realtek RTL8111C Intel 775 P45 ICH10 no ATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P January 2009 ✓ 8 0 2 Realtek RTL8111C Intel 775 P45 ICH10R no ATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1, forum post 2
GIGABYTE GA-M61PM-S2 July 2009 TBD 4 0 1 Realtek RTL8211 AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 NVIDIA nForce 430 yes mATX Manufacturer, Newegg
GIGABYTE GA-M78SM-S2H ----- TBD 6 0 1 Realtek RTL8211B AM2+/AM2 GeForce 8200 NA yes mATX Manufacturer, Newegg
GIGABYTE GA-MA69GM-S2H ----- TBD 4 0 1 Realtek RTL8110 AM2 690G SB600 yes mATX Manufacturer, Newegg, Set bios to boot from USB HDD. Working with 4.2.1
GIGABYTE GA-MA74GM-S2 October 2008 ✓ 6 0 1 Realtek RTL8111C AM2+/AM2 740G SB700 yes mATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1, S3 Works New Revision Note
Gigabyte GA-MA78G-DS3H August 2008 TBD 6 0 1 Realtek RTL8111C AM2+/AM2 780G SB700 yes ATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1, forum post 2, single core CPU post, May require single core CPU
Gigabyte GA-MA780G-UD3H March 2009 ✓ 6 0 1 Realtek RTL8111C AM2+/AM2 780G SB700 yes mATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1
GIGABYTE GA-MA785G-UD3H Oct 2009 ✓ 6 0 1 Realtek 8111C AMD Socket AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G AMD SB710 yes ATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1, S3 Works, disable HPA in BIOS
Gigabyte K8VT800 Pro ----- TBD 2 0 1 Realtek RTL8110S AMD Socket 754 VIA K8T800 VIA VT8237 no ATX Manufacturer, Newegg (but not Pro version), forum post 1
Gigabyte GA-D510UD June 2010 ✓ 4 0 1 Realtek 8111D Intel Atom D510 Intel NM10 - yes mITX Manufacturer, HPA disabled by default in BIOS
Intel D845GVAD2(L) ----- TBD 0 0 0 Intel 82562ET Intel Socket 478 845GV NA yes mATX Manufacturer, No Newegg Link
Intel D865GLC ----- TBD 0 0 0 none Intel Socket 478 865G ICH5 yes ATX Manufacturer, Newegg
Intel D865GLCLK

the original Lime Tech board

----- ✓✓✓ 2 0 1 Intel® Pro/1000 CT Intel Socket 478 Intel® 865G TBD yes mATX Manufacturer, No Newegg Link
Intel D915GAGLK ----- TBD 4 0 1 Marvell 88E8050 Intel LGA775 915G ICH6 yes mATX Manufacturer, Newegg
Intel D945GCCRL ----- TBD 4 0 0 Intel 82562G Intel LGA775 945GC ICH7 yes mATX Manufacturer, Newegg
Intel D945GCLF2 October 2008 TBD 2 0 1 Realtek RTL8111C Intel Atom 330 945GC ICH7 yes Mini ITX / mATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1, Tested with 4.4.beta2
Intel D975XBX ----- TBD 8 0 1 Intel 82573E/82573L Intel LGA 775 G975 Express ICH7R no ATX Manufacturer, Newegg
Intel DG45ID January 2009 TBD 5 1 1 Intel 82567LF Intel LGA775 G45 ICH10R yes mATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1
Intel DG965OTMKR ----- TBD 6 0 1 Intel 82566DC Intel LGA 775 G965 Express ICH8 yes mATX Manufacturer, Newegg
Intel DG965RYCK ----- TBD 4 0 1 Intel 82566DC Intel LGA 775 G965 Express ICH8 yes ATX Manufacturer, Newegg, Set USB as Fixed Disk in BIOS to boot flash
Intel DG965WHMKR ----- TBD 6 0 1 Intel 82566DC Intel LGA 775 G965 Express ICH8R yes ATX Manufacturer, Newegg
Intel DH55TC August 2010 ✓ 6/4 0/2 1 Intel Pro 1000 82578DC Intel LGA 1156 H55 Express - yes mATX Manufacturer, Newegg
Intel DQ45EK March 2009 ✓ 4 1 1 Intel 82566DM Intel LGA775 Q45 ICH10DO yes mini ITX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1, Lan driver added in 4.5 beta2
Jetway J7F4K1G2E-PB ----- TBD 2 0 2 Realtek RTL8110SC / VIA VT6103CL Embedded VIA NanoBGA C7 CN700 VT8237RP yes mini ITX Manufacturer, Newegg, The VIA NIC is 10/100
Jetway NF93 August 2009 TBD 4 0 2 Realtek RTL8111C Intel socket Penry Intel GM45 ICH9M/ICH9ME yes mini ITX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1, Low power, 14.5W
MSI K7T266 Pro2 November 2009 ✓ 0 0 0 Unknown AMD Socket A Via KT266A Via VT8233 no ATX Manufacturer, No Newegg Link, Original Post
MSI K8N Neo4 ----- TBD 8 0 2 Marvell 88E1111 AMD Socket 939 nForce4 NA no ATX Manufacturer, Newegg, Sil3132 on board
MSI KT4V ----- TBD 2 0 0 VIA VT6103 AMD socket A VIA KT400 VIA® VT8235 no ATX Manufacturer, No Newegg Link
MSI P43 Neo3-F September 2008 TBD 8 0 1 Realtek RTL8111C Intel LGA 775 P43 ICH10 no ATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1, forum post 2
MSI P965 Platinum ----- TBD 7 0 1 Realtek RTL8111B Intel LGA 775 P965 Express ICH8R no ATX Manufacturer, Newegg, Uses Realtek Gigabit, speed problems in unRAID 4.2.1, but fixed in 4.3 betas
Super Micro C2SBA+II April 2009 ✓ 6 0 1 Intel 82566 Intel LGA 775 G33 ICH9R yes ATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1
Super Micro C2SEA May 2009 ✓✓ 6 0 1 Realtek RTL8111C Intel LGA 775 G45 ICH10 yes ATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1
Super Micro C2SEE

new official Lime Tech board

 December 2008 ✓✓✓ 6 0 1 Realtek RTL8111C Intel LGA 775 G43 ICH10 yes ATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum announcement, build guide, USB glitch & fix
Super Micro MBD-X7SBE December 2008 ✓ 6 0 2 Intel 82573V / Intel 82573L Intel LGA 775 3210 ICH9R yes ATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1, BIOS note
Super Micro MBD-X7SBL-LN1-O July 2009 TBD 6 0 1 Intel 82573V Intel LGA 775 3200 ICH9R yes mATX Manufacturer, Newegg, forum post 1
Super Micro X7SLA-H-O July 2009 TBD 4 0 2 Realtek RTL8111C-GR Atom 330 945GC ICH7R yes Flex ATX Manufacturer, No Newegg Link, forum post 1
Super Micro X7SPA-HF-O January 2010 ✓ 6 0 2 Intel 82574L Atom 510 Pineview-D ICH9R yes Mini ITX Manufacturer, Wiredzone, forum post 1, IPMI 2.0, 14.6W, 4x PCI-E
XFX Geforce 8300 October 2009 ✓✓ 6 1 1 Marvel 88E8056 AMD AM3 Geforce 8300 Nvidia MCP78u yes uATX Manufacturer, No Newegg Link, forum post 1, PCI-E x16 works with SATA card, 16x PCI-E, 1x PCI-E, HDMI, DVI, VGA, AM3, PCI-E v2.0, HT 3.0, DDR2 1066, bios 1.6 needed.


Processor

  • Any; 2.0GHz or higher is recommended, but many users are happy with 1.6GHz, at least one was fine with a 1.2GHz CPU; [2], [3]
  • Single and multiple core processors are fine. As of unRAID v4.4, multiple core processors are fully supported. For versions of unRAID through v4.3.3, multiple core processors work fine, but only one processor is used.


Memory

  • Minimum 512MB, maximum 64GB


  • Maximum was 1GB - prior to Version 4.3-beta6
  • Maximum was 4GB - prior to Version 4.4-final


  • Recommend 2 equal sticks of 512MB or 1GB or 2GB in order to run in dual-channel mode; speed matched to the FSB of your CPU.

unRAID will run in 512MB just fine for normal serving of media files. If you plan on running add-on applications that use a lot of memory, 1GB, 2GB, or more, is better.


Network Controllers

  • Atheros L1
  • Broadcomm BCM5751 Gigabit PCIe x1
  • D-Link DGE-528T Gigabit Ethernet (from v4.1)
  • Intel 82566DC Gigabit LAN chipset
  • Intel PRO/1000 Gigabit Ethernet
  • Intel PRO/100 Ethernet
  • Linksys LNE100TX
  • Marvell Yukon Gigabit Ethernet
  • Netgear GA311 Gigabit Ethernet
  • Realtek - RTL8169S, RTL8111B, RTL8111C, probably others too
  • Others that use the same chipsets as the controllers above


Motherboard IDE controllers

  • Intel PIIXn (essentially all Intel-based boards)
  • AMD-7xxx and AMD-8111
  • ATI IXP
  • nVidia nForce2 (works, but not recommended)
  • nVidia nForce4 (works, but not recommended)
  • nVidia nForce5 and above


PCI IDE Controllers

  • Promise Ultra100/133 TX2 [PDC20268]
  • Highpoint Rocket 133 (non-RAID)
  • Highpoint RocketRaid 454
  • SYBA SY-VIA-150R PCI SATA / IDE Combo Card [4], [5]


Motherboard SATA controllers

  • Intel PIIX
  • Intel ICHn
  • Silicon Image SiI3112, SiI3114, SiI3124, SiI3132
  • nVidia nForce series 5 or above (nForce4 or below NOT recommended, except Asus A8N-SLI)


PCI SATA Controllers

Note: this section includes both PCI and PCI Express controllers

  • Adaptec 1205SA (SiI3112)- 2 Port SATA150 PCI - [6], [7]
  • Adaptec 1430SA, 1430A - 4 Port SATA II - PCI-E x4 [8], [9], [10]
  • Dinodirect PCESA2-4R (JMicron JMB363)
  • Promise FastTRAK S150 SX4 (untested)
  • Promise SATAII150/SATA300 TX4
  • Generic SATA 150 (Silicon Image SiI3114) - for BIOS update for SiI3114 based cards, see [11] and [12]
  • Generic SATA 150 (Silicon Image SiI3512)
  • Highpoint 1820a Pci-x 8 port SATA (marvell 88sx5041 chipset supported by sata_mv module)
  • Highpoint 2300 pcie x1 4 port SATA (marvell 88sx7042 chipset supported by sata_mv module)
  • MASSCOOL XWT-RC040 (Silicon Image SiI3114)
  • Rosewill RC-218 4-port PCIe x4 SATA card (Marvell 88SX7042 chipset supported by sata_mv module) [13]
  • Sabrent SBT-SRD4 (Silicon Image)
  • Skymaster SATA (SiI3512)
  • SuperMicro AOC-SAT2-MV8 - 8 Port SATA II PCI-X
  • SYBA (PCI-E X1) 2 port SATA II (SiI3132)
  • SYBA SY-PEX40013 PCI Express SATA Controller Card, DinoDirect PCESA2-4R (JMicron JMB363 based card).
  • SYBA SY-VIA-150R PCI SATA / IDE Combo Card [14], [15]
  • Other addon cards using any Silicon Image or other chipset mentioned above
  • Note: Some of the above need a firmware update, to the latest non-RAID version (they usually come with RAID firmware)
  • Chipsets that provide Port Multiplier support
    • Silicon Image SiI3726 chipset
    • probably other Silicon Image chipsets


USB Flash Drives

The unRAID server software boots from a USB flash drive, 128MB or larger. If you plan on enhancing your unRAID server with addons, then 512MB or larger is recommended. If you think you may want to build your own custom Linux kernel, then 1GB or larger is recommended.

To use the free Basic version of unRAID, no GUID is required. To use a registered copy of unRAID, whether the Plus or Pro version, the flash drive must have a valid GUID. A GUID is like a product serial number, but does not actually exist on the flash drive. It is constructed by the Linux kernel from the flash drive's manufacturer, product ID, and internal serial number. The foolproof way to check if your device has a usable GUID, is to download the UnRAID software, extract it to your flash drive (USB Flash Drive Preparation), boot unRAID in a test machine, go to the Web Management page (top of the UnRAID Manual), and just select/copy/paste the GUID from the Devices tab. If the last 12 characters of your Flash GUID are all zeros, then it does **not** have a serial number and you can **not** register it. You can also utilize a Microsoft utility UVCView.mspx from within Windows to determine the USB device's GUID (which consists of idVendor+idProduct+0000+iSerialNumber), but this is unofficial, and should not be used for registration.

  • Note: Lime Technology strongly recommends you obtain your Flash GUID via the Devices page. This not only ensures the correct GUID, but also that your hardware platform can boot from Flash and run the unRAID OS.

Known list of good quality USB products:

  • Kingston Data Traveler 2
  • Lexar Firefly (suggested by Lime Technology)
  • SanDisk Cruzer Micro (suggested by Lime Technology)
  • Sony Micro Vault Tiny (suggested by Lime Technology)
  • PQI Intelligent Stick 1.1
  • Lexar Jumpdrive 1GB
  • SanDisk U3 Titanium
  • Corsair Flash Voyager 1GB
  • Corsair Flash Voyager 2GB
  • PNY (slow!)
  • probably most others, if recently made, quality brand name
  • for maximum compatibility, see the Lime Technology store for pre-configured flash drives


PSU - Power Supply


Hard Disk Stackers


Other

  • Video: Generic VGA
    • Not required for headless operation
    • Often integrated into motherboard, no video card needed
    • To save PCI Express slots, consider using a cheap PCI video card, like this one, $10!
    • Or get the cheapest PCIe-X1 video card you can find
  • Keyboard: any keyboard
    • Not required for headless operation
    • USB keyboard should work, but if not, then use any PS/2 keyboard
  • Mouse: not used
  • UPS: any UPS is strongly recommended



Recommended Builds

(Current as of April 7th, 2010)

Budget Box

United States Version

All of the following components are available through online retailers in the United States. All prices are in USD. Inspired by LimeTech's own RB-1200
Recommended retailers:

  • Newegg (there's really no reason to shop anywhere else unless you find an item on sale elsewhere)
  • TigerDirect
  • Amazon (if you are desperate, their shipping is pretty bad)


Components:

  • CPU: 2.7 GHz AMD Sempron 140
  • Motherboard: BIOSTAR A760G M2+
    • The Biostar A760G M2+ motherboard is currently hard to find or unavailable. We are working on an alternative. See this thread for details.
  • RAM: Kingston 2 GB DDR2 800 RAM (Pretty much any DDR2 800 RAM will do, just get at least 1 GB on a single stick. 1 GB is sufficient for stock unRAID usage, get 2 GB or more if you plan on using add-ons)
  • Power Supply: CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 CMPSU-430CX (will support up to 12 low power/green drives)
  • Case: Cooler Master Centurion 590 - *Same hardware used by LimeTech*
  • Hard Drive Bays:
    • Hot Swap - ICY DOCK MB454SPF-B Multi-Bay Backplane Module (4-in-3) - *Same hardware used by LimeTech*
      • The recommended case will support up to 3 of these units, for a total of 12 drives.
    • Non-Hot Swap - COOLER MASTER STB-3T4-E3-GP 4-in-3 Device Module Hardisk Cage
      • The recommended case will support up to 3 of these units, for a total of 12 drives. However, the case comes with an internal 4-in-3 hard drive cage, so only two of these units would be necessary to achieve a 12 drive capacity.
    • Note on hot swap bays: Many computer cases including the recommended CM-590 have metal tabs separating each 5.25" drive bay. Many hot swap drive cages do not accommodate these metal tabs. Most unRAID server builders just use a pair of pliers and a small hammer to bend/flatten these tabs out of the way. However, if you do not want to bother with this type of case modification, then you should shop for a hot swap hard drive cage that does accommodate these tabs, such as the SNT-3141 SATA-II Hot-Swap 4 Drive Enclosure.
  • Expansion Card: Supermicro Add-on Card AOC-SASLP-MV8 - *Same hardware used by LimeTech*
    • Only required if support for 7 - 12 drives is desired
    • Also requires two breakout cables
  • Hard Drives: The capacity and speed of the hard drives you choose will vary depending on your server's purpose, but here are some 2 TB drives to choose from:
    • 2 TB Seagate Barracuda LP
    • 2 TB Samsung Spinpoint F3EG
    • 2 TB WD Green EARS
      • Note: On the WD EARS drive, you will need to install a jumper on pins 7-8 on this drive before installing it in your unRAID server.
    • It is best practice to avoid buying multiple drives from the same manufacturer at the same time. Doing so increases your risk of a multiple drive failure, a situation from which unRAID cannot recover.

At current prices (as of March 29, 2010), the above configuration totals:

  • $730 + Shipping + Cost of Hard Drives (With 12 Hot Swap Bays, supports up to 12 drives)
  • $455 + Shipping + Cost of Hard Drives (With 12 Non-Hot Swap Bays, supports up to 12 drives)
  • $300 + Shipping + Cost of Hard Drives (With 4 Non-Hot Swap Bays + 2 Internal, supports up to 6 drives)
  • $275 + Shipping + Cost of Hard Drives (With 4 Internal Non-Hot Swap Bays, supports up to 4 drives)

Always check the Good Deals Forum for current sales.

For some pictures of Budget Boxes in action, see kizer's server, kansur's server, and guiri's server. Note that none of these use the exact configuration listed above, but all are very similar.

First Time Configuration

This section covers how to configure your new Budget Box (US Version using the Biostar A760G M2+ motherboard) the first time you boot it up. You should follow the steps in the order below, otherwise this may not work properly.

  • First of all, make sure all your WD EARS (and any other advanced format drives) have jumpers installed before booting your server!
  • Prepare your USB Flash drive for unRAID as described in the instructions here. Your bootable flash drive must be plugged into the server before the rest of this will work.
  • As your server boots for the first time, press and hold the 'Delete' key to enter BIOS setup. In BIOS, use the arrow keys to navigate and make changes and the enter key to select items. Hit Escape to go back a screen. Make the following changes in the order shown here:
    • On the Chipset tab
      • Choose 'Southbridge Configuration'
        • Set the OnChip SATA Type to AHCI
        • Disable SATA IDE Combined Mode
    • On the Advanced tab
      • Choose 'USB Configuration'
        • Choose 'USB Mass Storage Device Configuration'
          • Set the Emulation Type to Hard Disk
    • On the Boot tab
      • Choose 'Hard Disk Drives'
        • Choose '1st Drive', select the USB Flash drive, and press enter
        • Disable all other boot drives
      • Choose 'Boot Device Priority'
        • Set the 1st Boot Device as the USB Flash drive.
        • Disable all other boot devices
  • Finally, press F10 to save your changes and reboot the server. The next time you turn on your server it should boot into unRAID automatically.

Australia Version

All of the following components are available through online and brick and mortar retailers in Australia. All prices are in AUD.
Recommended retailers:


Components:

  • CPU: 2.7 GHz AMD Sempron 140
  • Motherboard: Asus M4A785T-M
  • RAM: Kingston 2 GB DDR3 1333 RAM or Kingston 1 GB DDR3 1333 RAM (1 GB is sufficient for stock unRAID usage, get 2 GB or more if you plan on using add-ons)
  • Power Supply: Corsair CX-400 400W (will support up to 12 drives)
  • Case: Antec Three Hundred
  • Hard Drive Bays:
    • Hot Swap - SNT-3141 SATA-II Hot-Swap 4 Drive RAID Enclosure (eBay price: $120 each)
      • You can forgo this option as the case only allows for one of these. To keep things on a budget scale, I'd suspect most would build this server without them and would use the Cooler Master STB-3T4-E3-GP 4-in-3 Device Module Hard disk Cage.
    • Non-Hot Swap - Cooler Master STB-3T4-E3-GP 4-in-3 Device Module Hard disk Cage (eBay price: $40, would only need one for this case)
  • Expansion Card: If you plan to use more than 6 SATA drives, you'll need to buy a compatible SATA RAID controller ($40 gets you a 4 Port SATA I RAID controller, about $70 gets you a 4 PATA II RAID Controller. PCIe would retail for about $100+ 4 Port card).
  • Hard Drives:

At current prices (as of April 3, 2010), the above configuration totals:

  • $352.90 + hard drives (base system, non-hot swap bays, 1 GB of RAM)
  • $464.80 + hard drives (baller system, hot-swap bays, 2 GB of RAM)

Always check the Good Deals Forum for current sales.

UK Version

All of the following components are available through online and brick and mortar retailers in the UK. All prices are in GBP.
Recommended retailers:


Components:

At current prices (as of April 7, 2010), the above configuration totals:

  • £172.75 + VAT + shipping + hard drives (base system, non-hot swap bays, Biostar board, 6 non-hot swap bays, 1 GB of RAM)
  • £456.07 + VAT + shipping + hard drives (baller system, Biostar board, 12 hot-swap bays, 2 GB of RAM)

Always check the Good Deals Forum for current sales.

20 Drive Beast

~This build is still under construction~

  • CPU: Intel Celeron 430
    • Cheap and low power, perfect for unRAID
  • Motherboard: SUPERMICRO MBD-X7SBE
    • Tons of expandability options (PCIe and PCI-X)
    • Supports IPMI KVM over IP (This means that you can control every aspect of the server remotely, even BIOS! Ideal for a completely headless server hidden away in a closet or basement. Requires the use of an additional card, the AOC-SIM1U+.)
  • RAM: Kingston 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM ECC Unbuffered DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Server Memory Model KVR800D2E5/1G
  • Expansion Cards: Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8
    • The recommended motherboard can support up to two of these expansion cards, one in each PCIe slot.
    • Two of these cards are required for full 20 drive support.
    • Separate SAS or SAS to SATA breakout cables are required.
      • Use a SFF-8087 to SFF-8087 SAS cable to connect the Norco 4220's internal SAS backplanes to the Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8 (you will need two cables per card, since each cable supports up to 4 hard drives)
      • Use a SFF-8087 Reverse (SFF8087OCR) SAS cable to connect the Norco 4220's internal SAS backplanes to the motherboard's onboard SATA slots (again, each cable supports 4 drives).
  • Power Supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX
    • Supports 20+ drives, but it is recommended that you use primarily green drives to keep power consumption low.
  • Case: Norco 4220
    • Includes 20 Hot Swap hard drive bays (each bay has a tray, they are not trayless)
    • Often bundled with something nice, such as a free hard drive or a free motherboard

At current prices (as of 9/1/2010), the above configuration totals:

  • $940 + Shipping + Cost of Hard Drives (With 20 Hot Swap Bays, supports up to 20 drives)

Always check the Good Deals Forum for current sales.

5 Drive miniBox

  • CPU: 2.7 GHz AMD Sempron 140
  • Motherboard: BIOSTAR A760G M2+
    • The Biostar A760G M2+ motherboard is currently hard to find or unavailable. We are working on an alternative. See this thread for details.
  • RAM: Kingston 2 GB DDR2 800 RAM (Pretty much any DDR2 800 RAM will do, just get at least 1 GB on a single stick. 1 GB is sufficient for stock unRAID usage, get 2 GB or more if you plan on using add-ons)
  • Power Supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W (will support up to 12 low power/green drives)
  • Case: Rosewill R101-P-BK
    • Chosen for value, not style
    • You may need to flatten the small tabs that separate the 5.25" bays depending on the 5-in-3 cage you choose.
  • Hot Swap Hard Drive Bays: - ICY DOCK MB455SPF-B Multi-Bay Backplane Module
  • Hard Drives: The capacity and speed of the hard drives you choose will vary depending on your server's purpose, but here are some 2 TB drives to choose from:
    • 2 TB Seagate Barracuda LP
    • 2 TB Samsung Spinpoint F3EG
    • 2 TB WD Green EARS
      • Note: On the WD EARS drive, you will need to install a jumper on pins 7-8 on this drive before installing it in your unRAID server.
    • It is best practice to avoid buying multiple drives from the same manufacturer at the same time. Doing so increases your risk of a multiple drive failure, a situation from which unRAID cannot recover.

At current prices (as of 8/16/2010), the above configuration totals:

  • $350 + Shipping + Cost of Hard Drives (With 5 Hot Swap Bays, supports up to 5 drives)

Always check the Good Deals Forum for current sales.

For an example of the miniBox in action, see this thread. Note that I do not recommend the hot swap drive cage I used there as it does not have very good airflow.

Hardware Known to NOT Work

USB Flash Drives

  • Verbatim Store'n'Go Professional. Strange problems with the key being recognized, but not automounted during boot.
  • Alien 1GB. Recognized but syslinux gives kernel linux not found error. No obvious fix, stay away.
  • SuperTalent Pico - these do work at first, but see Not For unRAID: SuperTalent Pico series Flash drives


Hard Disk Drives

  • Western Digital AAKS drives. Mixed reports (see here and here). In some scenarios spindown of these drives completely hangs unRAID, while numerous other users report success with them. Consider other options if buying new drives, and thoroughly test if using an existing AAKS drive in your array.


Motherboards / Processors

  • Motherboards based on the nForce2, nForce3, and nForce4 chipsets are not recommended. They are notorious for data corruption issues, IDE detection issues, and incompatibilities with certain hard drives. This can result in failures to boot, corrupted files, corrupted network transfers, inability to use certain drives, etc. Many owners of these boards have wasted many days trying to get reliable operation, without success, and there are a number of very long threads about these problems on the Internet. It is the opinion of some that the Asus A8N family of nForce4 boards are the only ones that may be safe to use, possibly because Asus was the only one to put a tremendous effort into putting workarounds for the problems into the BIOS. For further discussion and links for research, see this thread. Boards based on later nForce chipsets, from nForce5 and higher, are fine, although may require small workarounds to operate well, such as special boot options, if using versions of unRAID prior to v4.4 final. nForce boards are generally very good performers, with very good feature sets.
  • Had lengthy problem of parity errors with system of ECS P4M800PRO-M V2.0 motherboard, Intel Core2Duo E4300, & Trendnet Gigabit PCI LAN. Not sure which variable was the issue. Can reference thread http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=2417. Note: motherboard chipsets are VIA P4M800 PRO and VIA VT8237R Plus


Other Hardware Recommendations 

this section is still very incomplete

Cases


Drives

The recommended practice is to space out or stagger your hard drive purchases as much as possible, and to avoid buying multiple hard drives from the same manufacturer at the same time. Doing so increases your chance of a multiple drive failure from which unRAID cannot recover. Read more...

Western Digital
  • Western Digital Caviar Green WD20EARS 2 TB 64MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - Newegg
    • Note: All EARS drives require a jumper on pins 7-8; discussion.
  • Western Digital Caviar Green WD15EARS 1.5 TB 64MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - Newegg
    • Note: All EARS drives require a jumper on pins 7-8; discussion.
  • Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - [24], Newegg
    • currently the best recommended, green, low power, most reliable unRAID data drive
  • Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s - Newegg
    • better performance than the green drive, better for parity drive
  • Western Digital Caviar Green WD20EADS 2TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s - Newegg
  • Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - [25], Newegg
Seagate
  • Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31500341AS 1.5TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - [26], Newegg, Frys
    • firmware MUST be checked, upgraded if necessary; is still not recommended by some
  • Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s - [27], [28], Newegg
  • Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000333AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s - Newegg, may need firmware upgrade
  • Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3750330AS 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s - Newegg, may need firmware upgrade
Samsung
  • SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3EG HD203WI 2TB 5400 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - Newegg
    • Currently has the lowest failure rates of all the 2 TB drives on the market. The best choice for a drive that 'just works'.
  • SAMSUNG EcoGreen F2 HD154UI 1.5TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - Newegg
  • SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD102UJ 1TB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s - [29], Newegg
  • other Samsung drives
The Rest
  • Hitachi drives
  • Maxtor drives
  • See also the Lime Technology store
  • Thinking about refurbished drives? There is an excellent discussion of the pros and cons here


Drive Racks

(heading name change?)

  • see SATA Hard Disk Stackers
  • Cooler Master (STB-3T4-E3-GP) 4-in-3 Device Module - [30], [31], [32]
  • other Cooler Master
  • Icy Docks
  • KINGWIN KF-3000-BK 3.5" Internal hot swap rack raid-3 bay (3 in 2 trayless rack) - [33], [34]
  • KINGWIN KF-4000-BK 3.5" Internal hot swap rack raid-4 bay (4 in 3 trayless rack) - [35], [36]
  • Lian Li EX-H34B SATA Hot Swap HDD Rack Kit - [37], [38]
  • SuperMicro CSE-M35T-1B Black 5 Bay Hot-Swappable SATA HDD Enclosure - [39], [40]
  • NORCO SS-500 5 Bay SATA / SAS Hot Swap Rack Module-[41] [42]
  • others, may be listed in user builds


Video Cards

  • ATI Rage 8MB PCI Video Card - [43]


Cabling

  • MonoPrice seems to be the recommended source for all cables and cable accessories. See this for some discussion of cable quality.
  • Running cat6 cables - some good advice for installing network cabling
  • Power splitters - some good comments, a pic comparing good vs cheap, and a source


Fans and Controllers

Do not trust fan specifications as listed by manufacturers as invariably they are misleading or completely incorrect. Look for independent reviews.


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